1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to skis and other recreational equipment, and more particularly, to an elongate skiing and surfing apparatus having a plurality of wing sections which produce increased lift.
2. Description of Related Art
Elongate boards, such as skis and snow boards are both abundant and varied in design. Elongate boards are used for a variety of sports, such as water skiing, knee boarding, wave boarding, surfboarding, snow skiing, snow boarding, and sky surfboarding. The ski enthusiast is constantly searching for improved equipment to increase their performance on their skis or boards. In many instances, the skier becomes airborne while performing various maneuvers. For example, in snow skiing, ski jumping involves using a ski ramp to propel a skier through the air. One of the primary objects of snow ski jumping is to travel the greatest distance. Therefore, increased lifting performance of the ski is desired. In water skiing, a similar event is also performed by using a ramp from which a skier is propelled above the water for a certain distance. In sky surfboarding, the longer a person can stay airborne, the more time is available for performing maneuvers in the air. Therefore, improved lifting performance for skis and boards is very important.
Although there are no known prior art teachings of a solution to the aforementioned deficiency and shortcoming such as that disclosed herein, prior art references that discuss subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein are U.S. Pat. No. 3,761,980 to Silverstein (Silverstein), U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,511 to Wright (Wright), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,571 to Sevington (Sevington).
Silverstein discloses a water ski having a conventional ski body. The ski body has a pair of parallel depending rails on the lower ski surface defining a central longitudinal channel between the rails. The rail portions of the ski body are provided with a plurality of short inclined planes having a progressively greater angle of inclination toward the rear end of the ski. However, Silverstein does not teach or suggest utilizing a plurality of wing sections having slots to increase the lifting characteristics of the ski.
Wright discloses a water ski having front, middle, and rear sections. The rear section includes a rear tail to promote enhanced stability and maneuverability of the ski. The rear tail and the bottom surface of the rear section form an enclosed chamber having an inlet and an outlet. Additionally, the water ski includes an air channel formed by a centrally disposed depressed region of the ski body running the length of the central section. The air channel provides means for injecting air into the chamber whereby a bubble pattern is produced under the rear section of the ski. This bubble pattern creates a small ball-bearing like surface which reduces surface tension between the ski and the water. Although Wright discloses a chamber having an inlet and an outlet on the main ski body frame, Wright does not teach or suggest the formation of a tandemly arranged plurality of wing airfoils to improve the lifting qualities of the ski body.
Sevington discloses a ski having an inverted channel member with a flat base and two side walls. The inside face of the flat base lies on an upper surface of the tail of the ski. Each side wall includes a plurality of downwardly extending projections. When the ski is placed on a flat horizontal surface, such as water, the lowermost extremity of each projection is separated only by an air gap. Sevington does not teach or suggest a plurality of wing sections to improving the lifting forces of the ski body. Sevington merely discloses an inverted channel member forming projections on an underside of the separate ski members.
Review of each of the foregoing references reveals no disclosure or suggestion of an apparatus such as that described and claimed herein. Thus, it would be a distinct advantage to have an apparatus for producing increased lift on an elongate board. It is an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus.